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“A little insight into how truly strange I am – this morning on my way to work my inner Sheldon came out and I started wondering, if Spock drank tea what would he drink? Sad I know. Then I thought,...”
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“Needed something gentle. Talk about severe storms headed this way has gone on for several days and has rubbed my nerves raw. I may have to break down and pay a visit to the storm shelter builders...”
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“I had to run errands for hubby and it is about 100 degrees outside. Youngest and I stopped at Taco Bell for takeout and she got a Baja Blast. Soda. Soda. Soda. Cold and bubbly.
But I don't...”
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“I was excited to get this one in my sample box because I recently tried a different dragon well and really enjoyed it. I am happy to say that this one has lived up to my expectations.
Thanks...”
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From Teavivre

Taste: A subtle, rich, orchid like taste and aroma, with no hint of bitterness

Brew: 1-2 teaspoons for 8oz of water. Brew at 176 ºF (80 ºC) for 1 to 2 minutes (exact time depends on your taste – a longer time will give the tea a stronger taste and color)

Health Benefits: TeaVivre’s XiHu Long Jing, have high levels of antioxidants and other natural chemicals that reputedly help reduce the incidence of cancer, promote good skin tone and help reduce the affects of aging. Also high in vitamin C, fluoride and calcium, they also promote healthy teeth and bones. Long Jing tea is also widely renowned in China as a good tea to help calm the mind, cheer you up and clear your thinking.

171 Tasting Notes

A little insight into how truly strange I am – this morning on my way to work my inner Sheldon came out and I started wondering, if Spock drank tea what would he drink? Sad I know. Then I thought, wouldn’t that make a great bit on Big Bang Theory? I can hear them point/counterpointing until agreement was reached. I’ve only seen a few episodes, they may have already had the debate.

My thoughts are he would not drink Earl Grey, or any flavored tea, with the possible exception of Jasmine Dragon Pearls. I would rule out black tea all together. I think he would go green or white. His logical side would be fascinated by complexity. My two choices would be Silver Needle white, or Dragon Well green. He is vegetarian, and while the white tea is subtle and meditative, I lean towards Dragon Well for its heartier layers of vegetal goodness. So in honor of Spock I lift up multiple cups today.

I mentioned this to a co-worker who just turned and walked away. Halfway up the hall he stopped, turned, and said, “I think his mother’s human side would come out and he would just drink Lipton black tea.” Say it isn’t so! Oh, wait do I detect sarcasm? I suspect he wasn’t taking this seriously. I do give him credit for trying to assimilate all aspects of the equation into his reasoning but that is specifically why I made room for the possible inclusion of Jasmine Dragon Pearls. Wasn’t that obvious?

To my fellow geeks that are still with me – this is true for northern hemisphere dwellers, not sure it all applies below the equator. This is for April 2012. Go outside tonight just after the sun goes down. The bright ‘star’ high in the western sky is Venus. Below it near the horizon and much dimmer but still bright is Jupiter. Easily seen even in twilight. As it gets darker turn East and high in the sky, the moderately bright red ‘star’ is Mars. Now turn southwest. The three stars in a row are Orion’s belt. The bright red star above it is Betelgeuse (beetle juice) and below the belt is Rigel. It’s actually a double star. Close to the belt and on the Rigel side is a fuzzy patch that you might interpret as a star. This is the Great Orion Nebula. Later this summer you can see the Andromeda galaxy with your naked eyes. It is bigger than the moon and you have never noticed it because it is fairly dim and doesn’t look like the pictures.

I went to see the stars at Rocky Mt. National Park last Summer with a gazing group…unfortunately I was almost blind at the time…but my grandkids loved it. 9,000 ft. high and clear with some big telescopes! Now that I can see I want to do it again!!!

@Bonnie, I want to go with you! I have been to star parties where there were 18" diameter scopes. I can’t imagine being out under pristine skies with even our moderate 8" scope. Stupid light pollution.

Needed something gentle. Talk about severe storms headed this way has gone on for several days and has rubbed my nerves raw. I may have to break down and pay a visit to the storm shelter builders about digging a hole in our backyard…

This is wonderfully gentle, a nice sweet cereal flavor, but not so light it leaves you searching for something to taste. Trying a second steep as I write this…very pale, taste buds have to work a little harder, but still OK. Its mildness is very soothing.

C’mon storms, get your work done here and move on. I could use some sleep tonight.

I had to run errands for hubby and it is about 100 degrees outside. Youngest and I stopped at Taco Bell for takeout and she got a Baja Blast. Soda. Soda. Soda. Cold and bubbly.

But I don’t want to want soda! I got home and I opened the fridge and there was this pitcher of perfectly clear, glowing golden liquid. I made it the regular way for hot but poured it in a glass pitcher and put it in the fridge on Wednesday. I can’t get over how clean and fresh and clear this looks. Not clear as in colorless, clear as in there is no sediment, no particles at all. Beautiful. And satisfying! I don’t want soda anymore. And I believe I owe replacing sugary drinks with tea a lot of the credit for dropping my triglycerides by 103 points in 3 months, without medication. Go, tea!

I was excited to get this one in my sample box because I recently tried a different dragon well and really enjoyed it. I am happy to say that this one has lived up to my expectations.

Thanks again to Teavivre for the extremely generous sample of this tea. There’s so much in the pouch! The leaf is bright and smooth, and it smells a bit grassy and a bit nutty and a touch buttery. Steeped, that lovely chestnutty aroma comes out, which reminds me so much of chestnut sweets from a chinese bakery. The liquor is a very pale yellow, only slightly darker than the white of the mug, yet it’s still a flavorful cup. Smooth, lightly grassy, but also nutty and sweet, this tea has a lot of dimensions to it. A really really tasty cup.

Green with peppermint (steeped correctly, then chilled) is very nice. We salvaged a peppermint plant from House that Was that is bearing huge leaves right now. I’m drying them for summer experiments, but the dried-leaf aroma isn’t very strong. Any mint-drying experts have any advice?

Delicious, delicious tea-for-breakfast yesterday morning. I think this and other dragonwells may become my go-to first thing in the morning teas, because they sit so much better in my stomach than flavoured blacks which sometimes edge towards astringency (Laoshan Black and Premium Taiwanese Assam are good too, but more limited in their supply in my cupboard at the current time). Anyhow, it was great in the travel mug yet again, all rock sugar and chewy vegetal. I deliberately overleafed to give it a stronger flavour, which was quite successful.

Preparation

After a wonderful dinner I was in need of tea. Today already I drank 3 different black teas (I only reviewed 1) and decided to have something green. And this was my choice. A wise choice I might add. The aroma of the dried leaf is heavenly. It gave me an indication of what was to come. I brewed this in the Gaiwan. The flavor was as good as Long Jing gets and I’ve had many. I was imagining high foggy mountains with lush old growth evergreens. The flavors lingered in my mouth for what seemed like an eternity. This is a top flight Dragon Well.

I only steeped it for a minute and I really wish I had for longer :( but that is okay, it was still tasty. I hadn’t had this in so long that when I’m describing it as chestnut in writing I realized I really didn’t remember what that actually tasted like. Still came through even with the lighter steep. There are definitely mineral notes too.

I need to get through this one and then also try the Dragonwell I bought for cheap at the international supermarket. I have a feeling this one will win out though, just in color alone it’s superior. And given I’ve had this for months now, that’s saying something I think.

I used slightly more leaf today than I had before (more along the lines of 2 tsp/1 cup and the results were more to my liking. I also steeped it for three minutes. Now I am picking up more of the gentle, nutty notes. Raised the score a few points also. Sorry for the short note, must be leaving home soon!